Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread II

CIARAN_BOYLE

1 year deal for Luke, Roux and Goodman

Goodman is a NZer utility back and placekicker
http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/newsroom/10121.php

Hopefully goodman is as canny a signing as White was both were captains of NPC teams before coming to Leinster. I'm not really sure what positions he plays but I was calling for a utility back since we will be missing a lot of backs at the start of the season between injury and international duties.

funky penguin

Delighted about Luke, finally nailed down. Obviously the condition he's in forces the one year contract, but hopefully hell be in a better position this time next year.

.ak

Great news for Luke, glad he hasn't been left swimming.

Goodman was under the radar wasn't he? Didn't see his name mentioned at all. Anyone know anything about him?

.ak

Also, love the pic of Roux, hahah couldn't get a better promo pic really. Also sits nicely with JS's descriptive terms:

"Quinn is a physically imposing forward with a burgeoning reputation in South Africa"

Teferi

Delighted to get Luke nailed down. I'd imagine the 1 year contract is advantageous to him, gives him a year to stay injury free and have a stellar season to possibly earn back his central contract.

.ak

Andrew Goodman.


He looks like a fairly big unit, standing at 6'2". I haven't seen any other stats about him though. I take it he'll be helping us out at 12.

thomond2006

With Luke and EOM out and Berquist gone, it makes sense to bring cover in.

GerM

Happy enough with Goodman coming in. He's a like for like replacement for Berquist. We're a little thin on 10/12 players when everyone is away for internationals so I assume he'll fill in as required and will be coming relatively cheap. Only a 1 year deal too so he'll be playing for a contract. If the younger players don't come through or Goodman doesn't deliver, it also allows Leinster the option of making a big signing next season in advance of the new rulings being introduced (if they do come in at all) and securing a centre to fill the hole that's about to be left by BOD/Darce.

justsomebloke

so the 1 year deal for Roux is confirmed. Not really sure what to make of it. If he really is just looking to stay for year I don't really see the point of it.

Foxtrol

justsomebloke wrote: »

so the 1 year deal for Roux is confirmed. Not really sure what to make of it. If he really is just looking to stay for year I don't really see the point of it.

Signing him for one season makes little sense if it’s being looked at from what he can bring to the table this season. After the disasters that were EOD and Sykes I would presume this is a “see how it goes” signing, at the end of this season if both parties are happy with how it’s going they’ll sign him up on a longer term deal. I think it makes sense to both sides in the long run but it probably will do very little for Leinster’s current top quality second row shortage.

It will be interesting to see if either of Roux and Denton are seen as instant starting/bench options for bigger games.

roycon

http://www.makos.co.nz/theteam.aspx here is a link to tasman makos squad. Andrew Goodman looks like a big lad for an outhalf. 102kg 6'2

CatFromHue

The Goodman signing will be an interesting one. I assume he won't be here until after the ITM (reading the Tasman Makos website he's listed as the Captain and is talking about the season ahead) so won't play for us til after the first two HEC games. It also appears he has no Super rugby experience and in the press release when it mentions Nelson RFC they're talking about the level below ITM, though he has 42 ITM games under his belt.

So he looks like a Matt Berquist replacement just not as good (Berquist had 61 ITM caps and 29 Super caps).

He seems to be good with the boot as in his 42 ITM games he's gotten 45 penalties, 35 conversions, and 1 drop goal. He played the 2011 ITM Cup as a 12 as well.

.ak

That'd be a pity if he isn't here until after the ITM cup.

With BOD, Darce, Sexton and Ferg rested, we're also down Fitz, EoM, D'Kearney.... Our backs will be spread very thin at the begining of a season, one injury and we could be plundering the AIL for players.

CIARAN_BOYLE

I'd go so far as to say it doesn't really make sense if he won't be here till after the ITM cup. We need the cover early on in the season. Not when EOM Kearney and Fitz are fit and Ferg Darcy BOD Johny and Rob are back from being rested.

molloyjh

.ak wrote: »

That'd be a pity if he isn't here until after the ITM cup.

With BOD, Darce, Sexton and Ferg rested, we're also down Fitz, EoM, D'Kearney.... Our backs will be spread very thin at the begining of a season, one injury and we could be plundering the AIL for players.

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

I'd go so far as to say it doesn't really make sense if he won't be here till after the ITM cup. We need the cover early on in the season. Not when EOM Kearney and Fitz are fit and Ferg Darcy BOD Johny and Rob are back from being rested.

+1

If he's not finished with the ITM until the middle of October it'll be the start of November at the very earliest before we see anything of him. Does this mean he's really just cover for the AIs and 6 Nations given the timing?

dtpc191991

I'm not to happy with this. I was really hoping Madigan would be nailed as replacement OH and that he would get his chance with Ireland this year.

.ak

Only time will tell...

Speaking of which, is that the same situation with Bent, will he not be with us until November?

.ak

dtpc191991 wrote: »

I'm not to happy with this. I was really hoping Madigan would be nailed as replacement OH and that he would get his chance with Ireland this year.

I can't see the signing of Goodman changing any of that. If anything, it'd allow Madigan to be involved in the Irish setup.

CatFromHue

molloyjh wrote: »

+1

If he's not finished with the ITM until the middle of October it'll be the start of November at the very earliest before we see anything of him. Does this mean he's really just cover for the AIs and 6 Nations given the timing?

The fact that he's 29 and is on a one year contract with an option for another would suggest he's not here for the long term.

In November
2-4 Ospreys v Leinster
10 Ire v SA
17 Ire A v Fiji
24 Ire v Arg
23-25 Nov Glasgow v Leinster
30 Nov - 2 Dec Leinster v Zebre
7-9 Dec HEC

So for the Ospreys, Glasgow and Zebre game we will be missing in the backs, Sexton, BOD, D'arcy, Fitzgerald, and Kearney. We will more than likely also be missing EOM and McFadden.

The Tasman Makos last game is on the 13 Oct so he should be here for the Ospreys game I'd hope.

CatFromHue

dtpc191991 wrote: »

I'm not to happy with this. I was really hoping Madigan would be nailed as replacement OH and that he would get his chance with Ireland this year.

My understanding is that Goodmans more of a centre. I could be wrong on this though.

.ak

At 6'2" and 16+ stone he'd be a monster OH. :P

Podge_irl

Madigan IS nailed on replacement outhalf. Someone is not coming up from ITM cup to leapfrog him. He's signed as cover, probably ahead if Reid only at 10.

CatFromHue

12,500 season tickets sold so far with both The Grandstand and Anglesea Stand sold out.

There'll be one person from last season who won't be there next season though

dtpc191991

CatFromHue wrote: »

My understanding is that Goodmans more of a centre. I could be wrong on this though.

In that case it's all right. We are a bit short in the centre with EOM injured and MAcken and O'Shea aren't quite ready.

Hagz

dtpc191991 wrote: »

In that case it's all right. We are a bit short in the centre with EOM injured and MAcken and O'Shea aren't quite ready.

Macken's ready imo. We are dreadfully weak at inside centre during the internationals if McFadden and D'Arcy are involved. Other than Collie O'Shea there's no one who can really step in. But in terms of outside centre, I'm more than happy to see Macken play there.

tolosenc

dtpc191991 wrote: »

I'm not to happy with this. I was really hoping Madigan would be nailed as replacement OH and that he would get his chance with Ireland this year.

I'm presuming that Joe believes (foolishly) that Madigan will be involved with Ireland, and as such Goodman will allow the top two to be gone and for us not to need to rely on Reid, who's still quite young.

Also: I've been internetless in Canada for a week and a half - anything major happen? :P

Cpt_Blackbeard

Some very odd signing by Leinster. Roux could be a great player, but as he only has the one year deal, all he'll achieve is to take gametime from the likes of Flanagan. Goodman will be doing similar, but he'll only be taking gametime away from the likes of Reid. Both look like signings that were made because the money and spot was available and not because they were needed.

Fitz only signing a one-year deal could be read one of two ways. Either he is on the way out and Leinster are just being great employers by offering him a deal, or its more likely that he feels that he'll be back playing well and be able to demand the big bucks next year. Hopefully its the latter. I'm delighted to see that his (agent's?) greed has cost him a central contract and probably a good chunk of cash too. He was in no position to hold the IRFU to ransom as he did.

Teferi

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

I'm delighted to see that his (agent's?) greed has cost him a central contract and probably a good chunk of cash too. He was in no position to hold the IRFU to ransom as he did.

Standard.

thomond2006

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

He was in no position to hold the IRFU to ransom as he did.

eh?

Teferi

I have him on my ignore list and yet I still felt the need to see what he said on a Leinster thread. :rolleyes: I don't know why I did it, it's his standard rubbish.